Analysis of Food Dyes in Beverages Essay

Purpose: To determine the concentration of dye in a sports drink using spectroscopy and graphical analysis. We will be using beers law to find the unknown concentration of dye in a sports drink. Materials: Beakers, 50-mL, 2-3 ; Test tubes (13 x 100)mm 3-8 ; FD&C Blue 1 stock solution, 50-mL ; Lens tissues ; Pipets, serological, 10-mL ; Sample of consumer sports drink, 10-mL ; Spectrophotometer ; Test tube rack Procedure: 1) Preeminently, follow all laboratory safety guidelines ensuring that you have safety goggles on at all times throughout the lab. 2) Fill the cuvette 2/3 of the way with water. 3) Select the appropriate wavelength on the spectrophotometer. 4) Place the cuvette in the spectrophotometer and click the calibrate button. 5) Put 5mL of stock solution into test tube. 6) Fill the cuvette 2/3 of the way with the first solution. 7) Place the cuvette in the spectrophotometer. 8) Wait a few seconds and record the absorption on your data table. 9) Put 4mL of stock solution and 1mL of water in a test tube to make the second solution. 10) Fill the cuvette 2/3 of the way with the second solution. 11) Place the cuvette in the spectrophotometer. 12) Wait a few seconds and record the absorption on your data table. 13) Put 3mL of stock solution and 2mL of water in a test tube to make the third solution. 14) Fill the cuvette 2/3 of the way with the second solution 15) Place the cuvette in the spectrophotometer. 16) Wait a few seconds and record the absorption on your data table. 17) Put 2mL of stock solution and 3mL of water in a test tube to make the fourth solution 18) Fill the cuvette 2/3 of the way with the fourth solution 19) Place the cuvette in the spectrophotometer. 20) Wait a few seconds and record the absorption on your data table. 21) Put 1mL of stock solution and 4mL of water in a test tube to make the fifth solution 22) Fill the cuvette 2/3 of the way with the fifth solution 23) Place the cuvette in the spectrophotometer. 24) Wait a few seconds and record the absorption on your data table. 25) After all data are collected, use them to formulate a graph identifying the linear relationship between absorbency and concentration. —– Data and Calculations: Data recorded: Concentration(Â µM): 5.63 4.344 3.288 2.172 1.086 0 Absorption: .462 .398 .294 .186 .082 0 Water (mL): 0 1 2 3 4 5 Stock Solution (mL): 5 4 3 2 1 0 Linear Regression: y = .088x – .003 A = abc a = Molar absorptivity b = Path length of the sample cell c = Concentration Absorbency of Gatorade = 0.115 0.115 = (130.000)(1)(c) c = 8.85 x 10-7 Conclusion: In this experiment, we prepared solutions and used Beer’s law to analyze the concentration of dye in a beverage. The graph would provide the most accurate means to determine the concentration of an unknown solution and we know that absorbance measurements are most accurate in the range of A values from 0.2 to 1.0.

Fertilizers: Potassium and Compounds

Creating a liquid fertilizer Experiment Chemistry 1065 10/09/2012 Introduction The aim of this experiment was to create a liquid fertilizer containing Nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus; each element had to have 8% mass percentage. We were also required to add an additional element, magnesium and it mass percentage had to be 1. 5%. At the end of the experiment, the pH of our aqueous solution had to be between 6. 0 and 7. 0.As a group we predicted that we could not successfully create the liquid fertilizer with the compounds we were provided with, because some of the compounds would create a precipitate if mixed. As a result we decided that it would be take further experimentation of trying different combination of these compounds on small scale to help us successfully create the required fertilizer. This experiment is important because it is necessary to make a plant fertilizer that is environment friendly and that provides various plants with the nutrients they need to grow.This exp eriment was interesting because gave us the chance to see get in the perspective of the scientists who constantly keep working towards making the best possible fertilizers for plants. Recent attempts by scientists of making the ‘ideal fertilizer have failed because either the fertilizer is not environment friendly or it increases the birth-rate of agricultural pests. In this lab, we created several compound combinations to try and match the compounds in the required fertilizer.Some of our combinations worked, but some failed. We made adjustments to the original information provided to us in order to meet the standards of the required liquid fertilizer, and as a group we tried our best to indicate such adjustments throughout our lab reports so that the reader can be more informed about the experiment we did. . Experimental Because our prediction was that some of the provided compounds would not for an aqueous solution, we decided to try out some combinations on small scale to s ee how they reacted.The compounds we needed for these combinations were: Potassium carbonate, trisodium phosphate, potassium nitrate, ammonium carbonate, sodium phosphate, and sodium nitrate. We also needed some water to dissolve these compounds in. In order to perform a solubility test on the provided compounds we obtained a well plate, a spatula to add the solid compounds into the well plate, a beaker full of distilled water, a pipette to add water into the well plates containing two different compounds, and a stirring rod to stir the mixture.First using a spatula we took a small amount of K2CO3 and put in one of the wells on the well plate. Then we took a small sample of Na3PO4 and put it in the same well. Using a pipette we took 3ml of distilled water from the beaker and added it into the well containing K2CO3 and Na3PO4. The using a stirring rod, we continuously stirred the solution for 1 minute and we observed. Then we took small samples of K2Co3 and NH4Co3 and put them in a s econd well on the well plate. Then we added 3ml of water using a pipette. Using a stirring rod, we mixed the solution continuously for about a minute.Next we took small samples of NaNO3 and NaPO3 and put them in a third well on the well plate. We added some water using a pipette and stirred up the solution. Then we took samples of NaPO3 and KNO3 and put them in a fourth well in the well plate. We added 3 ml of water, stirred the solution and observed. Next we took samples of Na2PO3, K2CO3 and NaNO3 and put them in a fifth well. We added 3ml of water, constantly stirred the solution and observed. We then took samples of Na2PO3, K2CO3 and NaNO3 and put them in a sixth well plate.Then we added 3ml of water and constantly stirred the solution for a minute and observed. Through eliminating solutions that formed a precipitate we chose the solution containing, Na2PO3, K2CO3 and NaNO3 as the solution that could potentially be our liquid fertilizer because it contained nitrogen, phosphorus a nd potassium ions. Because we needed nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium to each have an 8% mass percentage in relation to the total solution, we calculated how much of each compound we needed so that the three required elements could have 8% mass percentage each in 10g of H2O.We calculate the amount of each compound needed by first figuring it in moles and then we converted it to grams. We replaced Na2PO3 with Na3PO4 because Na2PO3 was unavailable. After calculating how much of each compound we needed to make our fertilizer, we decided that we needed a beaker, a scale, weighing paper, pH probe, graduated cylinder, stirring rod, Magnesium and H2SO4 to neutralize our solution at the end. We started by weighing out 4. 23481g of Na3PO4, 0. 707g of K2CO3, and 5. 8221g NaNO3. Then we poured the weighed compounds into a beaker.We then measured 10ml of distilled water using a graduated cylinder. We then poured the 10ml water into the beaker containing our three compounds. Using a stirring r od we stirred the mixture for about three minutes. The compounds did not dissolve in water because the ratio of the compounds to the water could not allow the compounds to completely dissolve in the water. With instructions from our T. A we decided to divide the amount of all the compounds by 10. The new amounts of the compounds were: 0. 423481g of Na3PO4, 0. 0707g of K2CO3, and 0. 58221g NaNO3. We then weighed out these new amounts of compounds.We poured them into a new beaker and added 10 ml water. Using a stirring rod, we continuously stirred the solution until the compounds were completely dissolved. Next we got a pH probe to measure the pH of our solution. The pH of our solution needed to be between 6. 0 and 7. 0. We connected the loggerpro software to a laptop and we the pH collected was 12. 43. Since our fertilizer solution was a base we decided to neutralize it using an acid. The acid we chose to use was H2SO4. Using a pipette we added drops of H2SO4 to our fertilizer soluti on as we monitored the pH of our solution.It took 2. 4ml of H2SO4 to bring the pH of our liquid fertilizer to 6. 75. To make our liquid fertilizer complete we were required to add an additional element, magnesium such that it had a 5% mass percentage. We chose to use the compound magnesium nitrate because it contains a magnesium ion. We calculated that in order for magnesium to have a 5% mass percentage in the solution we needed 3. 05g of Mg (NO3)2. But because we had divided the other compounds in the solution by ten earlier, we had to divide the amount of Mg (NO3)2 paste to keep the same ratio.So after dividing the amount of magnesium needed by 10 we resulted with 0. 305g of Mg. We then weighed 0. 305g of Mg (NO3)2 on a scale and the poured it into the beaker containing our aqueous solution. Using a stirring rod we stirred up the solution until the Mg (NO3)2 was completely dissolved. We then finished the experiment by measuring the final pH of our solution which was 6. 7. Results Data 1 Compounds added to 10ml of water| Observations| KNO3 & NaPO3| When we mixed these two compounds in water, they formed a cloudy solution which turned clear after a while.There was some compound left at the bottom of the beaker and this was due to experimental error. | K2CO3 & NH4CO3| When we mixed these two compounds, they formed a cloudy mixture. One of the compounds looked suspended which meant it did not dissolve. | NaNO3 & K2CO3| When we mixed these two compounds, they both dissolved in the water although there was some compound particles left at the bottom of the beaker which was due to experimental error. | NaNO3 & NaPO3| When we mixed these two compounds, they formed a precipitate. NaPO3 & KNO3| When we mixed these two compounds, they did not dissolve in water, they formed a precipitate| Na2PO3, K2CO3 & NaNO3| When we mixed these three compounds in water, the completely dissolved| Data 2 Substance added to 10 ml of water| Observation| 4. 234g Na3PO4, 0. 707g K2CO3, and 5. 8221g NaNO3| Did not dissolve in water. The amount ratio of compounds was too big to dissolve. | 0. 423481g Na3PO4, 0. 0707g K2CO3, and 0. 58221g NaNO3| Completely dissolved in water and the pH of the resulting solution was 12. 3| 1 ml H2SO4| pH of solution dropped to 11. 14| 2ml H2SO4| pH of solution dropped to 7. 45| 2. 4ml H2SO4| pH dropped to 6. 7| 0. 03052 g Mg(NO3)2| Completely dissolved in water and the pH stayed at 6. 7| Calculations Amount of compounds needed. Note: We divided the final amount of the compound needed by 10 so that it would dissolve in water. What we need: 10g ? 8%= 0. 8 g N, 0. 8g P, 0. 8g K Element| Calculations| Amount of compound so that element has 8% mass percentage| Amount of compound so that element has 0. 8% mass percentage| Nitrogen| 0. g N3- ? (1 mol N2 / 14. 01g/mol N2)= 0. 057mol N20. 57mol N3- ? (101. 96 g/mol NaNO3) | 5. 8221g NaNo3| 0. 5221g NaNo3 | Potassium| 0. 4g K2+ ? (1 mol K2+ / 78. 2g/mol K)= 0. 005115 mol K2+0. 005115 mol K2+ ? (138 . 21 g/mol K2CO3) | . 707 g K2CO3 | 0. 0707g K2CO3| Phosphorus| 0. 8g P3- ? (1 mol P3-/30. 97g/mol P)= 0. 02583mol P3-0. 02583mol P3- ? (163. 94g/mol Na3PO4)| 4. 23481g Na3Po4| 0. 0423481g Na3Po4| Note: We used 0. 4g of Potassium because there are 2 potassium ions in K2CO3

A Study of the Relation of Gender and Self-Esteem in Conformity

A Study of the Relation of Gender and Self-Esteem in Conformity Abstract Conformity studies have been extensive following Asch’s (1956) classic line judgement task. Numerous factors have been purported to affect conformity behaviours. The present study investigates gender differences in conforming behaviours, and how self-esteem is associated with conformity, by replicating Asch’s original experiment. The study further explores if self-esteem is associated with conformity differently between gender groups. Twenty-two psychology undergraduates (eight males and fourteen females) were recruited. An independent t-test and bivariate correlation analyses were used to analyse the data. The results revealed 1) no gender difference in conforming behaviours, 2) a significant negative correlation between self-esteem and conforming behaviours, 3) differential association of self-esteem and conformity between males and females. In all, the results suggest that conformity is influenced by an individual’s sense of self-worth instead of a person†™s gender identity; gender may be a moderating variable in self-esteem and conformity research that future studies can explore. Gender and Self-Esteem Differences in Conformity: Revisiting Asch’s Conformity Test People are often faced with situations where they are pressurized to conform to certain norms or behaviours. Conformity is the change in behaviours in response to real or imagined pressure from members of the social environment (Gilovich, Keltner, Chen, Nisbett, 2013). In a classic study by Asch (1956), it was demonstrated that people can give obviously wrong answers even when they knew it was incorrect because of the sense of pressure from others. Specifically, participants in the study were shown three different comparison lines and were asked which line was similar to a target line presented adjacent. The participants were seated among a group of 7 to 9 and had to answer after the others indicated their response. There was only one participant in each group and the rest were confederates who gave unanimous incorrect answers on specified trials, known as critical trials. Approximately 75% of the participants conformed on at least one trial – of these participants, 5% confor med on all critical trials. Qualitative analysis after the experiment revealed that the participants knew the answers were incorrect, but felt the need to conform as they did not want to feel rejected, suggesting that people have a psychological need to fit in with a group. The yielding to group pressure because of a need to fit in is termed normative social influence, as opposed to informational social influence wherein people are uncertain of a situation and look to others for guidance (Asch, 1956; Gilovich et al, 2013). Clearly, Asch’s study explores the aspect of normative social influence. Numerous studies had since found divergent findings (Bond Smith, 1996; Mori Arai, 2010), questioning the external validity of the study. Perhaps the most important limitation to Asch’s study was the use of only male participants, indicating the need for further studies exploring gender differences. Literature on gender differences remains inconsistent – while women was generally found to conform more than men in the past (Bond Smith, 1996), recent studies suggest no gender differences (Rosander Eriksson, 2012), or mixed results in conformity between gender groups (Enjanjan, Zeigler-Hill, Vonk, 2015). Reviewing Gender Differences Women were generally found to conform more than men possibly due to gender roles and the conforming towards such roles during the period (1960s – 1990s) when the experiments took place (Rosander Eriksson, 2012). The social identity of women was arguably more submissive and conforming than present. Good and Sanchez (2010) posited that people conform to gender roles of the society due to intrinsic enjoyment of pulling together an individual’s actual and ideal selves, or due to extrinsic pressure from society. According to the self-discrepancy theory (Higgins, as cited in Gilovich et al., 2013), people are constantly motivated to compare between their actual selves – representing who people truly believe themselves to be – and two other selves, the ideal and ought selves. The former refers to the more positive connotation of people’s ambitions and what others maintain about them; the latter refers to the sense of obligation people feel pressurized to follow. Bond and Smith (1996) meta-analysis seems to substantiate this theory. In retrospect, the review was also done in the 1990s and conformity behaviours might have changed since then. Agreeably, Rosander and Eriksson (2012) found that women did not conform more than men. The study utilized the Asch’s paradigm, but on the internet where participants were not interacting face-to-face with each other. An additional measure of task difficulty (Easy/Difficult) was introduced. The overall conformity result was like Asch’s original study. Additionally, men were found to conform more than women on difficult task (specifically on difficult and logical questions, for details see Rosander Eriksson, 2012). This is corroborated by Enjanjan and colleagues (2015) where men with varying levels of self-esteem were found to conform more on difficult trials. Furthermore, women might not have been more conforming but that men tend to report less conformity depending on the context (Rosander Eriksson, 2012). Recent explanation of why men conform less alludes to the idea that non-conformity portrays uniqueness, thus making an individual stand out and increase prospective opportunities such as leadership roles (Griskevicius, Goldstein, Mortensen, Cialdini, Kenrick, 2006; Rosander Eriksson, 2012). Taken together, the findings suggest no concrete direction of gender difference, and hints a relationship between conformity and self-esteem. Reviewing Self-Esteem in Conformity Following the self-discrepancy theory, conformity towards ascribed norms may increase self-esteem due to inherent positive feelings. Conversely, conforming due to feelings of pressure may induce lower levels of self-esteem (Good Sanchez, 2010; Gilovich et al., 2013). Alternatively, this paper aims to identify if self-esteem levels affect people’s conforming behaviours. One of the main reasons people conform is the desire to fit in or to be correct (i.e. normative and informational social influences, Gilovich et al., 2013). Since these desires are associated with self-esteem (Enjanjan et al., 2016), it is intuitive to think that people with low self-esteem conforms more. Truly, studies converge on the notion that individuals with low self-esteem tend to conform more than individuals with high self-esteem (Enjanjan et al., 2016), possibly to protect their weak sense of self and mitigate the damaging impacts of failure (Ardnt, Schimel, Greenberg, Pyszczynski, 2002). Research on the relationship of gender in self-esteem and conformity remained scarce, with identifiable studies placing self-esteem as the outcome/dependent variable in their study instead of conformity (Good Sanchez, 2010). Due to inconsistencies in the literature, this paper expects a non-directional gender difference in rate of conformity. Next, it is expected that self-esteem is negatively correlated with conformity. Finally, this paper further explores if self-esteem levels between gender groups is differently associated with conformity. Methods Design There were two designs of the study – a between-subject quasi-experimental design for test of group difference and a correlational design for test of association. The independent variable for the former test was gender; the dependent variable was social conformity operationalised as the rate of conformity (out of 12 critical trials) of Asch’s (1956) conformity test. Self-esteem, measured using Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES; Rosenberg, 1965a), was correlated with the dependent variable. Participants responded to both RSES and the conformity experiment. Participants A total of 22 Participants (8 Males, 14 Females), age ranging from 18 – 25 years (M = 20.7, SD = 2.35 years) were recruited from James Cook University as part of their course requirement PY3102. Majority of the participants (N = 19) were First year students, and the remaining (N = 3) were Second year students. All participants were included in the study as all relevant details were filled up in both the demographics form (Gender, Age, and Year of study in college), and all participants completed the experiment. Materials Asch’s (1956) line judgement task. Microsoft PowerPoint 2016 was used to create the stimuli and presented through in-class overhead projector in James Cook University Singapore, room C2-06. The stimuli (Appendix A) consist of 18 trials of line judgement test, 12 of which were critical trials whereby the researcher recorded responses of the participants. The confederates were told to give wrong responses unanimously on the critical trials. The target lines were copied exactly (copy-paste function) from the correct comparison line while the remaining lines were created such that the correct answer was always obvious. All lines were between 2 – 10 inches (5.08cm – 25.40cm) following the original study. Rosenberg self-esteem scale (RSES; 1965a). The RSES is a 10-item scale that measures feelings of self-worth by assessing both positive and negative feelings about the self (Rosenberg, 1965b). The items are scored on a 4-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Items 2, 5, 6, 8, 9 are reverse scored. Item scores are summed and higher scores indicate higher self-esteem (Appendix B). The scale was found to have good internal consistency, a = .91, and demonstrated good internal and external validity (Sinclair et al., 2010). Procedure Participants were given an information sheet and were told that their participation is completely voluntary; they could leave at any point in the experiment. Only one participant was present for each experiment. Upon agreeing to informed consent and filling up of the demographics sheet, participants completed the RSES. Participants were told that they were in a group study of visual judgement together with three other confederates, and were assigned to the last seat in the row. The researcher presented the line judgement task on screen (5 metres away) and participants had to answer: â€Å"Which comparison line A, B, or C is the same as the target line?† after responses from all confederates. The confederates were instructed to give unanimous correct responses on trials 1, 2, 6, 10, 15, and 16 (randomly generated order, except for 1 and 2, following Asch’s original study), while incorrect responses for all other trials (critical trials). Only responses from the critical trials were recorded. Finally, participants were debriefed and given the true nature of the experiment. Statistical Analysis IBM SPSS 22 was used to analyse the data. An independent t test was used to test for gender differences and bivariate correlation analysis was used to test for the relationship between self-esteem and the dependent variable. Results The present study explored gender differences in social conformity, and its relationship to self-esteem. Table 1 presents the descriptive statistics of each group. Contrary to the hypothesis, an independent t test revealed no significant differences between male and female, t(20)= -0.067, p = .947, 95% CI [-0.256, 0.240]. A significant moderate negative correlation was found between self-esteem and social conformity, r(20) = -.58, p = .004, indicating that people with higher self-esteem tend to conform less. Finally, this study further explored if self-esteem levels between males and females would be associated differently with rate of conformity. A bivariate correlation analysis between gender groups indicated differential association with conformity – there was a significant strong negative correlation in the female group, r(12) = -.73, p = .003; there was no significant correlation in the male group, r(6) = -.31, p = .45. Discussion In all, the results revealed no gender differences in rate of conformity, a significantly moderate negative correlation of self-esteem and conformity, and different associations of self-esteem and conformity in males and females – women with higher self-esteem seems to conform less, while there was no significant correlation in men with varying levels of self-esteem. Contrary to previous findings, it appears that males and females do not differ in their rate of conformity. One possible explanation can be that gender roles in the current globalized society are not as prominent and people are more liberal in their social identity, thus blurring the distinction between gender. The result was consistent with the hypothesis of negative correlation of self-esteem and conformity, thus supporting previous findings and the notion that conforming behaviours seem to be a form of defensiveness toward threats to the self (i.e. fear of criticism or judgement by others, feeling excluded etc). Additionally, this paper showed that different levels of self-esteem in males and females are associated with conformity, consistent with Enjanjan et al.’s (2016) findings. It is likely that females with low self-esteem value the desire to be liked by others more than men with low self-esteem, while women with high self-esteem is more confident to make autonomous decisions. Conversely, men probably do not consider conforming behaviours as being impactful to their self-esteem as they may feel that uniqueness is a preferable trait rather than being liked by others. However, it is puzzling that no gender difference emerged overall, but differential associations emerged at var ying levels of self-esteem in males and females. The findings imply that conformity in people may be related more to an individual’s sense of self-worth rather than to gender, and complex interactions may exist between gender groups and self-esteem levels. The findings may be of interest to people working in groups, especially leaders – to identify the tendency for people to conform and therefore impeding productive generation of ideas. Limitations and Future Directions This study is limited due to the small sample size (N = 22), and very low count of male participants (n = 8). Also, all participants were psychology students and they might have guessed the nature of the study. This was controlled by asking for the year of study – with older-year students having the tendency to guess the true nature. Furthermore, due to the quasi-experimental nature, random assignment was not possible thereby confounding the results. Future studies may recruit more participants and include a question at the end of the experiment (â€Å"What is the study about?†) to exclude participants who know the true nature of the study. This was not done in the present study due to restrictive sample size. Perhaps with adjustments to the study and with more advanced statistical procedures, complex interactions between gender, self-esteem, and conformity can be discovered.

Social Change Impact Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Social Change Impact - Assignment Example These individuals protested in order to attain their rights and to gain acceptability within the society. For example: the civil rights movement started as the society viewed black Americans as inferior and was not accepting them as equal part of the society and similar events were witnessed in LGBT rights and women rights movement. The women’s right movement ended up in gaining success because they broke their ultimate goal of attaining their rights into manageable goals and they did not try to bring out a change immediately (Loeb, 2010, p.64). Secondly no one was quite aware about the various advantages that will take place as a result of this change and in order to experience the unforeseen advantages, this change was accepted. The main contributing factor for the sustainability of women right movement was that those involved in this movement did not back down and continued to fight for their rights even when there were huge

Car Industry in Europe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Car Industry in Europe - Essay Example The essay also look in to various technical measures which car industry has to take to improve the condition of more CO2 emitting cars towards less CO2 emitting ears. It also emphasizes that how these steps improve the overall environment in EU especially the he emission of CO2 level, which is to be achieved with in a time frame. Finally the essay recommends various measures the how EU enforce these regulations legislatively to improve the overall situation of emission of GHG. It also emphasize on how customers and car industry could be benefited by applying and adhering environmental standards for sustainable growth & development. Introduction: The European is at the forefront of international efforts to combat climate change and must deliver the reductions in greenhouse gas emissions to which it has committed under the Kyoto protocol. The greenhouse effect is one of the better-understood features of the atmosphere. The European commission proposed in January 2007 "The EU pursues in context of international negotiations, the objective of a 30% reduction of GHG emission by developed countries by 2020 (compared to 1990 levels)". To avoid distortions and for the sake of economical and social fairness, all sectors must contribute to the reduction effort. Cars are an important part of the everyday lives of a large number of Europeans; the automobile industry is a significant source of employment and growth in many regions of the EU. However, car usage has significant impacts on climate change with about 12% of the overall EU emissions of CO2, the main greenhouse gas, coming from fuel consumed by passenger cars. Even though there have been significant improvements in vehicle technology in particular fuel efficiency which also means lower CO2 emissions but this has not been enough to neutralize the effect of increased traffic and car size. While the EU as a whole has reduced its emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) by just under 5% over the 1990-2004 period, the CO2 emissions from road transport have increased by 26% keeping in view of the above situations in June 2006, European Council therefore unanimously reconfirmed that "In line with the EU Strategy on CO2 emissions from cars/light duty vehicles, the average new car fleet should ach ieve CO2 emissions of 140g CO2/km by 2008/09 and 120g CO2 /km by 2012". The European parliament called for "a policy of strong measures to reduce emission from transport, including mandatory limits for CO2 emissions from new vehicles in order of 80-100g CO2/km for new vehicles in the medium term to be achieved through emission trading between car manufacturers. In view of the above developments in implementing environmental norms and standards by EU, car manufacturers around the globe may face specific problems as well as adhering norms laid down by EU. The auto industry is often thought of as one of the most global of all industries. Car industry is experiencing rapid changes with globalization (Carlson 2004). Rapid changes are also altering the industry structure and attractiveness. The emerging markets

Tom Peters on Uncertainty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Tom Peters on Uncertainty - Essay Example There is a great challenge to management to meet the changing landscape and capitalize on the new economies. Tom Peters was telling us that there is a brave new world of business and our management structures and organizations must be equipped to meet the uncertainty of the 21st century. The post bureaucratic era has introduced many new norms for institutions and business. While the staid structures of clearly defined hierarchy may have served history well, they can not keep pace with the speed of change in today's world. By understanding that we are faced with continual uncertainty, organizations can restructure to take advantage of that change. Networking and team concept approaches can offer the ability of an organization to react and act in the face of sudden change. While many opportunities will exist, it is the organizational structure most adept at handling change that will define the success from the failure. The globalization of capitalism has also presented new markets and manufacturing bases. Yet, here again the organization is faced with uncertainty. The firm may find itself embroiled in international politics or environmental issues that may threaten to sink their investment. The venture must be structured in such a fashion that they can withstand the assault of the unknown.

A selected annotated bibliography on Edgar Dega's Singer in Green Research Paper

A selected annotated bibliography on Edgar Dega's Singer in Green - Research Paper Example Degas illuminates his subjects from below. Shckenkel also argues that Degas has depicted his artistic knowledge using coarse hatchings that suggests the existing backdrop behind the singer herself. According to this author, Degas had a deep meaning behind this style of art. He says that the subject matter of the Artist mainly represented the modern approach. He also states that Degas had a great interest in the portrayal of romance as a major theme of his work of art. His intended message of this image is also facilitated or backed up by his claim that Degas had absorbed her artistic tradition outside people’s influences and later reinterpreted them in various innovative and inventive ways. He created and came up with a lot of information from a single work of art. From the art, it is evident, according to the author that Degas did an experiment with various techniques, thus breaking up the existing surface textures with hatching. He also contrasted the dry pastel with a wet o ne. Degas used watercolors and gouache in the softening of the contours of the figure. Degas, in this concept, is seen as an experienced artist in the use of colors to decorate hi artworks. He uses vivid yellow, orange, and turquoise, which area all features of saturated hues and complementary colors with which other several artists in his circle began to experience during the mid-1880s. The posture of the picture shows that Degas used the modern artistic styles. It is actually the same as the current postures taken by most live performing artists. Reff, Theodore. The Pictures within Degas’s Pictures. Columbia: Columbia University Press, 2004. Print. Theodore affirms that Degas applied Venatian art in the creation of the picture. His painting styles with the use of several colors are an indication of the use or application of the mentioned art that was popular during the mid-1860s. He says that the appearance of the picture was because of various works of other artists such a s Tintoretto, Giorgione, and Veronose. Like other works of Degas such as Finding of Moses, Theodore asserts that most of the art styles used in the picture, were that of Tissot who wrote to him, â€Å"L’Assomtion du Titien m’a laisse froid-le Tintoret de Saint- Marc piquant une tete m’a bien†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Theodore goes ahead to explain the history of Degas artistic knowledge that he used in the making or compilation of the picture. He says that the knowledge on the use of colors in the decoration of the picture came from Venatian first, before it; Tissot got it and later shared it with Tissot. He says that, through this, Degas managed to create the picture that was remarkably varied in styles and subjects. The skills he gained through these early artists also helped him come up with juxtaposition in photos. He asserts his beliefs in the existing relevance of modern art. To verify the issue of modernity, Theodore talks of the realism of European paintings and th e artificiality of the Japanese prints. The curving of the hand in the picture, the paintings, the textures and the posture, are all original works of other artists during the renaissance era that was adopted by Degas during the creation of the artworks. Reff, Theodore. Degas: A master among Masters. Columbia: Columbia University Press, 2001. Print. In this article, Theodore still discusses the styles that Degas used in the picture. He talks of many aspects of the pictures, in terms of its composition and making styles. She refers to one of the known and popular statements that Degas made

Problems and prospects of external debt management Essay

Problems and prospects of external debt management - Essay Example However, these indigenous institutions may not always have sufficient amount of resources to fulfill all the requirements of the country. In that case, it is forced to resort to international commercial banks or international lending institutions like the IMF of the World Bank. It can also request for financial aid from the Government of its ally nations. The debtors of a country can include the national Government, the private corporations or even the individual households. Usually, external debt is borrowed in two ways: by taking loans from the lending institutions or by selling the country’s securities to acquire the required amount of funds. After the country accomplishes its projects with the help of the borrowed resources, it is required to repay the external debt along with its interest payments. Thus, external debt is actually a liability of the nation. For this reason, it is recorded under the Debit Account in the Balance of Payments (BOP) of the country. The BOP is a statement of accounts of the nation including its assets and liabilities and the outstanding credit and debit of the economy. The BOP gives an indication of the country’s position with respect to the international market. If the country has borrowed a large amount of financial resources from abroad, this will automatically add to the Debit account of the BOP. A huge burden of external debt does not reflect a good financial position of the domestic nation. Instead it indicates that financial resources generated within the economy are not sufficient to fulfill the requirements of the national Government, the private firms and the individual households. That is why; the country has to depend on external sources to finance its multifarious requirements. Economists and financial experts always advise countries to keep their external debt burden down to a minimum. Nations are expected not to borrow extra resources unless and until it becomes absolutely necessary (The World Bank, 2 012). Indicators of a Country’s External Debt Burden Apart from the Balance of Payments Statement, there are other variables which give an indication of the external debt burden of a particular country. These are: a. The Ratio of External Debt to GDP: A high value of this ratio reflects a high external debt burden of the nation. This shows that the country’s external borrowings are greater than the value of its Gross Domestic Product produced within its geographical boundaries. The financial resources generated in turn from the GDP are not being able to meet all the financial requirements within the economy. Therefore, the country has to borrow extra resources from external creditors b. The Foreign Debt to Exports Ratio: When an economy has a high ratio of foreign debt to exports, this also indicates a high external debt burden of the country. It exhibits that the nation’s borrowing from external sources is more than the value of the goods exported by the countr y. This may also reflect that the nation’s external debt liabilities are greater than its external credit earnings. The

MIDTERM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

MIDTERM - Essay Example Since the parents are suffering from the overwhelming stress, they do not interact with the children and as a result the children are lagging way behind the other children of their age with regards to language speaking. Moreover the children are shy and timid and are not at ease when expressing their feelings and ideas. The condition of the children is understandable because the type of environment they are having at their home is not suitable for developing their language, communication and expressive skills. Solution The solution to the problem; slow growth of language and communication in the children, is by improving the way their parents interact with them. The frequency of reading to them needs to be increased however the way that reading is done is more important. Dialogic Reading is the solution to the problem faced by this family. This method of reading is good for these children for two reasons: 1. Since the children are shy and timid, they need to interact more. Dialogic r eading is better than common method of reading because in dialogic reading the interaction level between the storyteller i.e. the parents in this case and the listener i.e. the child, is very high as compared to common reading in which the child only listens. Dialogic Reading ultimately turns the child into the story teller. 2. In Dialogic Reading the child not only just listens, but also starts questioning, reasoning and becomes more expressive. Since the children in this family do not interact frequently and lack the confidence to speak, Dialogic Reading can substantially increase their confidence level. Importance of Dialogic Reading The parents need to know the importance and usefulness of the dialogic reading. I would explain to them the importance of dialogic reading by convincing them to first analyze the state of their children. I would tell them that the children are shy and timid and have language delays because they are not getting the sufficient time to interact. The par ents can understand the importance of dialogic reading by considering the fact that reading with the children is certainly more effective than reading at them. While conducting Dialogic Reading the parents make the children to ask them questions about the story and make them tell the story. This allows children to develop better observational and verbal skills. Parents should know that dialogic reading expands the knowledge of the children as they share the parents share the knowledge with the children about what the child is looking at. The most convincing thing that I can tell the parents is the fact that Dialogic Reading is having a conversation about a story with the child as opposed to just telling a story. Practicing Dialogic Reading The parents need to know a proper way of practicing Dialogic Reading for getting the desired results. I would tell the parents to base their practice of dialogic reading on three basic principles: 1. Encouraging child to become an active learner d uring book reading. 2. Providing feedback that models more sophisticated language 3. Challenging the child’s knowledge and skill by raising the complexity of the conversation gradually Moreover parents can use the techniques of CROWD and PEER for practicing dialogic reading. These two acronyms explain the methodology for correct execution of Dialogic Readin

Compare the Gettyburg Address and the Funeral of Pericles Term Paper

Compare the Gettyburg Address and the Funeral of Pericles - Term Paper Example If we analyse these two speeches, we realise that the essence of the democracy is well conveyed by both the speakers on seemingly different yet similar occasions. In the article we are going to analyse these similarities and the message that was conveyed to all those who seek democracy as the tool for effective development of the society. Historical Background Astonishingly both the speeches were delivered in similar circumstances. The Gettysburg address delivered by Abraham Lincoln is considered one of his finest speeches. The speech does not go beyond 2 to 3 minutes, but it conveys the lifelong dream of a visionary to create a society based on equality and justice. The idea of accountability to the society is conveyed by a single phrase stating it is a government by the people, for the people and of the people.1 The background of the address is civil war which changed the course of history of America. Civil war ended the discrimination legally and freed a large section of the socie ty from slavery. The address was delivered at the end of battle of Gettysburg, at the time of consecration of national cemetery at Gettysburg. It was the last speech to be delivered on the occasion. Similar to this the speech delivered by Pericles is also after the battle is ended. It was a tradition in Athens to hold public funerals in the honour of the dead in the war. There were cypress coffins made as per the number of tribes participating in the war. Public was allowed to pay tributes and then the burial was carried out.2 This tradition seems to have been very prevalent as there are several references to these occasions in the history. It was also a tradition that a prominent citizen would address the gathering of the people on such people. Thucydides’ records give an account of what Pericles spoke on one such occasion. Themes of the speeches Both the speeches revolve round the idea of democracy although none of them directly make a mention of democracy. Another importan t feature is the tribute to the dead in the war. Fighting for the cause they believed in till the last breath is nothing less than heroic. The least a nation or a society can do is honour the dead by creating honouring the death of such heroes. Going forward both speeches emphasise on the greatness of the country and the society they are living in. The speeches end on the note of message to the society to not to forget the sacrifices made by the dead towards the living. Learning from the speeches The discovery of America represented liberty and equality. The speech emphasises on two perspectives. One is the death of the people who believed in the cause for which they died. It will be highly ungrateful of the society to forget the ultimate sacrifice made by these war heroes. War for any society travels from general to personal level, while the cause of the war is general and applies to the entire society by and large; the death of war heroes is every bit personal to the families and loved ones. The boundaries of sacrifice extend to these families for whom the loss is more than what can be expressed. Offering of a piece of land to create a cemetery is a gesture of gratitude. It should always be noted that any grand construction or building is created only when there are a few strong pillars who bury themselves underground. Only then the tall construction comes into being. For generations people have fought wars for

How Pop Culture Affects Teens Essay Example for Free

How Pop Culture Affects Teens Essay Popular culture is all around us and it influences many teens across the world. Teenagers are affected by pop culture in almost every aspect of life whether it is music, media, celebrities, fashion, and even literature. These kinds of things have become top priority for teenagers of today’s world. They have surrounded themselves by it and have grown to love, even worship pop culture. Our main objective is to raise awareness to the significance of popular culture in comparison to the cultures of the world. Popular Culture is the new Babylon, into which so much art and intellect now flow, it is our Imperial Theater, Supreme Temple of the Western Eye. We live in the age of idols. The pagan past, never dead, flames again in our mystic hierarchies of stardom. Parental angst about teenagers musical preferences is as old as popular culture itself. Ever since Elvis first swiveled his hips for 1950s TV audiences, consensus has zigzagged sharply on how strongly music impacts its teen listeners. Critics see desensitization toward violence as one major consequence of long-term exposure to music with antisocial themes, while defenders of popular culture simply view it as one more signpost in the era of teen rebellion. Popular cultures influence on teens? It is a known concept that younger teens can be easily influenced. There are several studies that have been done that show the fact that the younger the age, the more likely the person is to follow a crowd. Peer pressure plays a huge role in this also, but the fact is that during the early teen years, one is more likely to pick a role model based on who is considered popular by a majority. The thing is, that may not always be the best thing. This is why there have been several efforts made to regulate the content in popular culture that is reachable to younger children. This includes putting warning labels on CDs, having ratings on television shows, and requiring ID in order to view certain movies. Even though parents and political figures have made several efforts, it may not be enough. Who is really to blame? Is it right to blame the celebrities whose sole purpose is to entertain us? In my opinion, popular culture has had an influence on teens. And depending on the day it is, the influence may not be a good one. Even though I do not feel music or movies should be to blame for the troubles that teenagers have gotten into, there are some teens who feel the need to follow whatever trends that are shown in popular culture, whether it is positive or negative. It is the responsibility of the public figures who are involved in these forms of entertainment to try and be a positive influence. But the one thing that we all must keep in mind is that celebrities are people too and are bound to make mistakes. Teenagers are the group most strongly influenced by popular culture (more commonly called pop culture). What exactly is popular culture? According to Wikipedia English: â€Å"Popular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred through an informal consensus within the mainstream of any given society.† Thesaurus.com refers to pop culture as a â€Å"modern way of living.† Effects on teens Not only are teens strongly influenced by pop culture but it affects them on many levels. It affects them cognitively (how they think), emotionally (how they feel) and behaviorally (what they do). The last decade has seen exponential growth in the media – with the advent of the internet, mass media has almost been overtaken by social media. The teens have latched onto social media with intensity and this has had both negative and positive effects. Conclusion The relationship between teens, pop culture and the media (mass and social) is deeply symbiotic – and here to stay. The teens of today have grown up with mobile phones and internet access, information always at their finger-tips. Popular culture continues to affect teens in both positive and negative ways. On the other hand, teens also affect pop culture. The sophisticated teen of today is the creator and innovator of the future. Today I am going to talk about the topic: è ¯ Ã© ¢Ëœ Firstly, Ill present the causes of pop culture. Next, Ill give the consequences of this trend. Finally,Ill sum up the conclusion in the short sentences.

Impressions After Reading Jane Eyre Essay Example for Free

Impressions After Reading Jane Eyre Essay Jane Eyre, written by Charlotte Bronte, was met with great enthusiasm and became one of the best sellers since it was published in October 1847. The story of Jane Eyre takes place in northern England in the early to mid-19th Century. It starts as the ten-year-old Jane, a plain but unyielding child, is excluded by her Aunt Reed from the domestic circle around the hearth and bullied by her handsome but unpleasant cousins. Under the suggestion of Mr. Lloyd, an apothecary that sympathizes Jane, Mrs. Reed sends Jane to Lowood Institution operated by a hypocritical Evangelicalist, Mr.  Brocklehurst, who chastises Jane in front of the class and calls her a liar. At Lowood, Jane befriends a young girl named Helen Burns, whose strong attitude towards the school’s miseries helps Jane a lot. Also, she is taken under the wing of the superintendent, Miss Temple. After spending eight years at Lowood, six as a student and two as a teacher, she accepts a governess position to teach a loverly French girl named Adele at Thornfield, where she falls secretly in love with the garden’s owner, Rochester, a man with a warm heart despite a cold face outside. However, fate decides to play a joke on Jane. On the wedding day , as Jane and Rochester prepare to exchange their vows, Jane is being told that Rochester has a legal wife, Bertha Mason. Knowing that it is impossible for her to be with Rochester, Jane flees Thornfield. Penniless and hungry, Jane is taken by Rivers siblings Mary, Diana and St. John. , who live in a manor called Moor House. Jane happily accepts the offer of teaching at St. Johns school. She later learns that the Rivers siblings are actually her cousins and that she has inherited from her under a vast fortune, which she divides among her new family. At that time, St. John is about to go on missionary work in India and repeatedly asks Jane to accompany him as his wife. One night, when she is about to accept St. John, Jane experiences a mystical connection with Rochester, and she decides to seek him out at Thornfield. She discovers that the estate has been burned down by Bertha, who died in the fire, and that Rochester, who was blinded in the incident, lives nearby. Jane goes to him at once, at there they get married. The development of Jane Eyre’s character is central to the novel. From the beginning, Jane possesses a sense of her self-worth and dignity, a commitment to justice and principle, a trust in God, and a passionate disposition. Her integrity is continually tested over the course of the novel, and Jane must learn to balance the frequently conflicting aspects of herself so as to find contentment. An orphan since early childhood, Jane feels exiled and ostracized at the beginning of the novel, and the cruel treatment she receives from her Aunt Reed and her cousins only worsens her feeling of alienation. Afraid that she will never find a true sense of home or community, Jane feels the need to belong somewhere. Thus Jane says to Helen Burns: â€Å"To gain some real affection from you, or Miss Temple, or any other whom I truly love, I would willingly submit to have the bone of my arm broken, or to let a bull toss me, or to stand behind a kicking horse, and let it dash its hoof at my chest†. This desire tempers her equally intense need for autonomy and freedom. Her fear of losing her autonomy motivates her refusal of Rochester’s marriage proposal. Jane believes that â€Å"marrying† Rochester while he remains legally tied to Bertha would mean rendering herself a mistress and sacrificing her own integrity for the sake of emotional feelings. On the other hand, her life at Moor House tests her in the opposite manner. There, she enjoys economic independence and engages in worthwhile and useful work, teaching the poor; yet she lacks emotional sustenance. Although St. John proposes marriage, offering her a partnership built around a common purpose, Jane realizes their marriage would remain loveless and that this kind of freedom would constitute a form of imprisonment, because she would be forced to keep her true feelings and her true passions would be always in check. Nonetheless, the events of Jane’s stay at Moor House are necessary tests of Jane’s autonomy. Only after proving her self-sufficiency to herself can she marry Rochester and not be dependent upon him as her â€Å"master. † Edward Rochester, despite his stern manner and not particularly handsome appearance, wins Jane’s heart, because he is the first person in the novel to offer Jane lasting love and a real home. Although Rochester is Jane’s social and economic superior, and although men were widely considered to be naturally superior to women in the Victorian period, Jane is Rochester’s intellectual equal. As Jane says: â€Å"I am my husband’s life as fully as he is mine. To be together is for us to be at once as free as in solitude, as gay as in company. We are precisely suited in character—perfect concord is the result†. Rochester regrets his former libertinism and lustfulness, nevertheless, he has proven himself to be weaker in many ways than Jane. St. John Rivers provides the most typical model of Christian behavior. He is a Christianity of ambition, glory, and extreme self-importance. St.  John urges Jane to sacrifice her emotional deeds for the fulfillment of her moral duty, offering her a way of life that would require her to be disloyal to her own self. But Jane ends up with rejecting to sacrifice passion for principle, which doesn’t mean she abandons a belief in God. Jane ultimately finds a comfortable middle ground. For Jane, religion helps curb immoderate passions, and it spurs one on to worldly efforts and achievements. These achievements include full self-knowledge and complete faith in God. Mr. Brocklehurst, the cruel, hypocritical master of the Lowood School, illustrates the dangers and hypocrisies that Charlotte Bronte perceived in the nineteenth-century Evangelical movement. Mr. Brocklehurst adopts the rhetoric of Evangelicalism when he claims to be purging his students of pride, but his method of subjecting them to various privations and humiliations, like when he orders that the naturally curly hair of one of Jane’s classmates be cut so as to lie straight, is entirely un-Christian. Of course, Brocklehurst’s proscriptions are difficult to follow, and his hypocritical support of his own luxuriously wealthy family at the expense of the Lowood students shows Bronte’s criticism to the Evangelical movement. Helen Burns is Jane’s close friend at the Lowood School. She endures her miserable life there with a passive dignity that Jane cannot understand. she believes that justice will be found in God’s ultimate judgment—God will reward the good and punish the evil. Jane, on the other hand, is unable to have such blind faith. Her quest is for love and happiness in this world. Nevertheless, she counts on God for support and guidance in her search. Throughout the novel, Charlotte Bronte may have created the character of Jane Eyre to voice her then-radical opinions. Much evidence suggests that Bronte, too, struggled to find the right balance between moral duty and earthly pleasure, between obligation to her spirit and attention to her body. She hold the opinion that every spirit is independent, though there are differences in social class, in property and also in appearance. Jane Eyre is critical of Victorian England’s strict social system. Bronte’s exploration of personal equalty is perhaps the novel’s most important theme. I would like to use my favorite words that Jane once said to Rochester to end my article: Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong! —I have as much soul as you—and full as much heart! And if God had gifted me with some beauty and much wealth, I should have made it as hard for you to leave me, as it is now for me to leave you.

The Life Of Edvard Grieg Music Essay

The Life Of Edvard Grieg Music Essay When thinking of the great musical traditions that abound in Europe, it could probably be expected that the main influential cultures that have contributed to these musical traditions are the Germans, Italians, French, and English. From Bach to Brahms and everyone in between, these four cultures seemed to have generated the greatest of composers. Thus, it wouldnt be expected that a man from Norway, a country not at all noted for their musical prowess or persuasion, would produce a composer of the highest quality. But from Norway, a man named Edvard Grieg proved that other parts and cultures of Europe could also fashion composers of the highest quality and contribute to Europes great musical traditions. Born on June 15, 1843, Edvard Grieg was born into a successful merchant family who traded dried fish and lobster across the North Sea. His father helped run the family business and his mother was regarded as the best piano teacher in their hometown of Bergen. Since he was not the eldest son, he had the ability to pursue his interests in music and not worry about carrying on the family business as much as his older brother did. From early on, he displayed much interest in music, with his mother teaching him to play the piano from age six. Grieg would explore different tunes on his own for hours on the piano, though not always the most disciplined of students. He much preferred exploring and improvising his own sounds on the instrument than sticking to the regimented piano method set by his mother. However, despite the certain amount of reluctance, he excelled in his music studies and continued on the path that he was truly destined to become an artist. Studying music may have been a chore for the young musician, but he had a greater disdain for his other studies in school. When he was ten years old, Grieg was enrolled at the Tanks School, one of the leading schools at the time with strict and demanding expectations. He would try to find any and every excuse to avoid going to school. During the summer, the family would go to their estate far out in the countryside, which made the daily travel to school even farther. Grieg would sometimes also have to trek in rainy weather, something that he learned to embrace rather than dislike. Students who showed up wet to class were often dismissed so they could return home to change. Its been said that Grieg, in an attempt to avoid school, would sometimes stand under a gutter so as to become much more wet in a lot less time. The trick initially proved effective until the teacher realized that one student was always more wet than the others especially when there hardly was any rain. Generally, his grades were less than satisfactory. However, when the teacher had asked one time who had composed a work called Requiem, the young Grieg immediately answered, Mozart. The class was astounded that this student, who rarely spoke up in class, knew the answer that no one else even heard of, earning him the nickname Mosak. It was obvious where his interests were. At the familys countryside estate during the summer of 1858, Grieg met the Norwegian violin virtuoso Ole Bull, who was close friends and actually a relative by marriage to Griegs parents. During the visit, Grieg performed for the violinist which included some pieces the young composer wrote. At the conclusion of the performance, Ole Bulls expression turned serious and went to speak with Griegs parents. When he returned, Ole Bull was thrilled to announce to Grieg that his parents agreed to allow the youngster to attend the Leipzig Conservatory. This moment, Grieg later recalled, was the single most important event in his life. In the autumn of 1858, Edvard Grieg, then only 15 years old, ended his education in Norway and went to the Leipzig Conservatory in Germany to study music. The Conservatory was founded in 1843 by Felix Mendelsohn, and was reckoned to be the best and most modern conservatory in Europe. Even though Grieg had always aspired to become an artist, he had to adapt to this new environment especially coming from a small city like Bergen to a European metropolis with narrow streets, tall buildings and crowds of people. Due to homesickness and language-problems, Grieg initially had some difficulties adjusting to his new home, but eventually, he became very comfortable in this new place. His teachers were among the most eminent in Europe: Ignaz Moscheles in piano (also the director of the Conservatory at the time), Carl Reinecke in composition, and Moritz Hauptmann, whom Edvard Grieg had the greatest respect for. During his stay in Leipzig, Edvard Grieg came in contact with the best of Europes music traditions. He first studied the works of Mozart and Beethoven, but also the compositions of contemporary composers such as Mendelsohn, Schumann, and Wagner. Grieg enjoyed the numerous concerts and recitals given in Leipzig. He disliked the discipline of the Conservatory course of study, yet he still achieved very good grades in most areas, an exception being the organ, which was mandatory for piano students. In the spring of 1860, he contracted pleuritt, a form of tuberculosis, which affected him for the rest of his life. His left lung collapsed, which made his back bend and greatly reduced his lung-capacity. Nevertheless, the following year, on August 18, 1861, he made his debut as a concert pianist, in Karlshamn, Sweden. He graduated from the Conservatory with excellent marks in 1862 and left as a full-fledged musician and composer. His first concert after graduating was held in his home town of Bergen, which included a performance of Beethovens Pathà ©tique Sonata. Among other works performed at this concert was his String Quartet in D-minor, a work that has disappeared without a trace. Griegs goal was to compose Norwegian music, but as a realist, he knew that he had to go abroad to get in contact with an environment that could aide him in developing as a composer. In the years up to 1866, Grieg lived in Copenhagen, Denmark, the only Scandinavian city with a rich cultural life on an international level, leaving it only to make brief study trips. In Copenhagen, there were other composers like Niels W. Gade, Emil Hornemann, Winding, and Mathison-Hansen. Probably the most inspirational to Grieg was Niels W. Gade. After having composed his only piano sonata and his first violin sonata, he took them to Gade for his opinion. Its been said that when Gade was really inspired, he drank great amounts of water. That day, the old maestro emptied four huge decanters. Gade encouraged Grieg to compose a symphony. The work was performed several times, but Grieg later refused to acknowledge it. Never to be performed, were the words he wrote on the score. However, it eventually was rediscovered in the twentieth century and performed again, and it was even recorded. This fruit of Griegs early years was certainly nothing to be ashamed of, and it provides todays listeners with a broader view of the composers artistic and musical development. The symphony displays Griegs considerable technical skill, and new works naturally poured forth from his creativity. Griegs style was based on the German romantic tradition of music, but eventually, national awareness developed within him, coupled with a growing need to create a typical Norwegian style of music. This further developed through his friendships and discussions with other young composers from Norway. While in Copenhagen, Grieg met another Norwegian composer named Rikard Nordraak, who had a huge impact on Griegs evolution towards becoming a composer of Norwegian music. Nordraak is probably best remembered as being the composer of Norways national anthem. As a composer, he had not attained Griegs level, but he had strong views on how to create music based on the old folk melodies. Even though Grieg was the one with the most solid background from a Conservatory, he looked up to Nordraak as his idol. Nordraaks enthusiasm for everything Norwegian was passed on to Grieg. Grieg later said about Nordraak: He opened my eyes for the importance in music that isnt music. Nordraak died in 1866, and Grieg composed a funeral march in his honor. Grieg met several other people in Copenhagen that became his lifelong friends, the most important being his first cousin, Nina Hagerup. They had grown up together in Bergen, but Nina moved with her family to Copenhagen when she was eight years. Nina was an excellent pianist, but it was her beautiful voice that truly captivated Grieg. Ninas mother was an instructor at the theatre and may perhaps be one of the reasons why Nina became famous for the interpretation and performance of texts instead of being purely technical. The couple fell in love and was secretly engaged in 1864. This engagement was not well received by either family. Griegs father warned his son against the commitments of starting a family. He felt Grieg couldnt support a wife and family when his income came from conducting, performing, and composing. Ninas mother was much harsher. She said Grieg had nothing, cannot do anything, and makes music nobody cares to listen to. In the spring of 1865, they officially announced their engagement, and on this occasion, Grieg presented to his fiancà ©e four songs he composed for her with texts by their good friend, Hans Christian Andersen (Melodies of the Heart, Op. 5). In spite of the true love between Edvard and Nina, both of their parents were not present at the couples wedding on the June 11, 1867. The Griegs went from Copenhagen to Kristiania (known today as Oslo) in order to participate in the building of a Norwegian environment for music in the Norwegian capital. During this time, Grieg was influenced by the composer Otto Winter-Hjelm. Winter-Hjelm saw clearly how the elements of folk music could be used to create a national type of music along more impressive lines. Another influential composer was Ludvig Mathias Lindeman, whose collection of Norwegian folk melodies formed an important basis for Griegs further development. Later, Grieg went in search of folk music in its native environment. The written notes of folk music could not reproduce the special atmosphere and the almost magical rhythms and harmonies that the folk musicians created live from their instruments. Their time in Kristiania (known today as Oslo) also became a period of hard labor, both concerning the establishing of a Norwegian musical life and concerning their daily income. The familys income came from the various jobs Grieg took as a conductor and piano teacher. Also, their daughter Alexandra was born on the April 10, 1868. The same year, Grieg composed his brilliant Piano Concerto in A Minor, during a stay in Denmark. With the passing of time, the Piano Concerto has become almost synonymous with Norway. It has become part of the piano music repertoire and is frequently performed throughout the world. The concerto has the ability to call to mind strong associations with Norway in both performers and the audience. Though patterned to some extent on European models, Grieg has succeeded in bringing these together with elements of Norwegian folk music and his own personal conceptions of Norwegian nature and the Norwegian character. His musical style has become identical to the Norwegian intonation. This masterpiece became Griegs final breakthrough as a composer, and after this performance, he was considered as one of the greatest composers in his time. The concerto was first performed in the Casino Theater in Copenhagen on April 3, 1869, with Edmund Neupert as pianist and Holger Simon Pauli as conductor. Grieg himself was unable to be there due to conducting commitments in Kristiania. The joy of the success as a composer was short-lived when on May 21, 1869, their daughter Alexandra died from meningitis while visiting their family in Bergen. The fact that they no longer had a child could be the main reason why Edvard and Nina did not become a normal couple. Instead, they ended up as a two artists that travelled around Europe without a stable home. This situation became more apparent in 1875 when Griegs parents died. They now did not even have a home in Bergen to return to. In addition to this, Grieg felt that he had stagnated artistically. The situation reached a critical point in 1883 when Grieg left his wife. It was Griegs friend, Frants Beyer, who persuaded Grieg to reconcile with Nina, and they went to Rome in order to start the reconciling process. Frants Beyer also convinced Grieg that he needed a stable home, something to come home to after long tours abroad. Beyer helped Grieg to buy a place at Hop, in the outskirts of his hometown Bergen, and in 1885, Edv ard and Nina Grieg moved into their villa at Troldhaugen. In 1868, Franz Liszt, who had not yet met Grieg, wrote a testimonial for him to the Norwegian Ministry of Education, which led to Grieg obtaining a travel grant. The two men met in Rome in 1870. On Griegs first visit, they went over Griegs Violin Sonata No. 1, which Liszt immensely enjoyed. On his second visit, in April, Grieg brought with him the manuscript of his Piano Concerto, which Liszt proceeded to sightread (including the orchestral arrangement). Liszts rendition impressed his audience, although Grieg gently pointed out to him that he played the first movement too quickly. Liszt also gave Grieg some advice on orchestration, for example, to give the melody of the second theme in the first movement to a solo trumpet. His encounter with Franz Liszt and the artistic circles in Rome gave him fresh inspiration and self-confidence. Fired with new energy and enthusiasm he returned to Kristiania in 1870, where he initiated a productive cooperation with Bjornstjerne Bjornson, who for many years had been waiting for a composer that could write Norwegian music brought life his poems and dramas. In 1871, the poem Before a Southern Convent (for soprano, contralto, ladies choir and orchestra) was the first fruit of this collaboration. Inspired by its success, Bjornson, in the same year, started on the dramatic poem Bergliot, which, with its rugged realism, inspired Grieg to attempt a far more daring musical language than previously. In the spring of 1872, Bjornson and Grieg presented the result of yet another cooperation, the scenic drama Sigurd Jorsalfar. The conscious search for national roots and identity in Nordic antiquity was continued in Olav Trygvason. The idea was to create a monumental musical drama, but Bjornson never completed more than the first three acts. The work remained a fragment, but Griegs music gives us some idea of what a magnificent national opera, and as well as perhaps a major opera composer, were lost. The project was abandoned, but Griegs dramatic talents were put to a new test when the playwright, Henrik Ibsen, asked him to write the incidental music to the play Peer Gynt. Edvard Grieg met Henrik Ibsen for the first time in Rome in 1866. Ibsen immediately felt that Edvard Grieg was an artist with unusual musical and intellectual capacities. He and Grieg had the same views on Ibsens famous drama Brand. This was one of the reasons Grieg was chosen when in 1874, Ibsen planned a staging of of the story of Peer Gynt with music. Grieg accepted the task and started immediately with great enthusiasm. But setting music to Peer Gynt was not as easy as he had thought it would be. On the February 24, 1876, the play was performed for the first time in the Kristiania Theater in Oslo and was an immediate success. Alongside the work with Peer Gynt, Grieg also set music to six poems by Ibsen (Op. 25). In 1888 and in 1893, Grieg published respectively the Peer Gynt Suite I and II, which contained the most popular melodies from the play Peer Gynt. These two suites are among the most played orchestral pieces in our time. Griegs later life brought him fame. In 1874, the Norwegian government awarded him a pension, and he could support himself without needing to teach or to conduct. He returned to his home town of Bergen. The framework now seemed ideal for a productive period in his life. Instead, it was a time of both personal and artistic crisis. A period of depression, and Griegs struggle to overcome it led, nevertheless, to the creation of profound and gripping works of a high quality. The ambitious Ballad in G minor for piano and string quartet reflects the turmoil in his soul and his struggle to perfect both form and content. On his many journeys in Europe, he met, and became a good friend of, other composers like Peter Tchaikovsky, Johannes Brahms, Franz Liszt, Frederic Delius, Camille Saint-Saens, Julius Rà ¶ntgen, Edward MacDowell, and more. He influenced other composers, such as Bela Bartok, Maurice Ravel, and Claude Debussy. In the spring 1903, Grieg made nine 78-rpm gramophone recordings of his piano music in Paris, which are still accessible today. Grieg also help to create live-recording player piano music rolls for the Welte-Mignon reproducing system, all of which survive today and can be heard. In 1906, he met the composer and pianist Percy Grainger in London. Grainger was a great admirer of Griegs music and a strong empathy was quickly established. In a 1907 interview, Grieg stated: I have written Norwegian Peasant Dances that no one in my country can play, and here comes this Australian who plays them as they ought to be played! He is a genius that we Scandinavians cannot do other than love. One September 4, 1907, at the age of 64 years old, Edvard Grieg died in Bergen after a long period of illness. His final words were said to be, Well, if it must be so. The funeral drew between 30,000 and 40,000 people out on the streets of his home town to honor him. Following his wish, his own Funeral March in memory of Rikard Nordraak was played in an orchestration by his friend Johan Halvorsen. In addition, the Funeral March movement from Chopins Piano Sonata No. 2 was played. His and his wifes ashes are entombed in a mountain crypt near his house, Troldhaugen. Griegs piano works are incredible teaching literature, and had maintained their prominent place in piano teaching throughout the entire first half of the 20th century. The encounter with Grieg for piano students can prove to be a strong and intense experience because to them, Griegs music is a new musical discovery. At Troldhaugen, a concert hall and museum was constructed in the composers honor. In the course of a single morning during the summer months, as many as 4,000 people from all over the world come to Troldhaugen, brought here by the desire to experience the music of Norways greatest composer. Concert performances of Griegs music have become an important part of Troldhaugen museums offerings to the public. The music of Grieg continues to captivate and inspire listeners around the world. His music has been infused in popular culture as well as in classical music halls. His unique blend of Norwegian folk song with the broader musical styles of Europe creates melodies and harmonies unlikely any other. Indeed, from Norway, a man named Edvard Grieg proved that other parts and cultures of Europe could in fact fashion composers of the highest quality. He truly was a composer of the highest quality and a first-class musician, forever to be remembered.

Know Thy Reader Essay -- Analysis, Letter from Birmingham Jail

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail" is a defense of the kind of non-violent direct action that King promoted and used during the civil rights movement of the 1950s and '60s. It is a response to statements of disapproval made by the clergymen of Birmingham, Alabama, and is obviously written in a way that appeals directly to this audience. King uses his knowledge of this audience's identity to design highly targeted arguments and to choose relevant historical examples for citation, and uses his personal experience in writing sermons and speeches to construct moving sermon-like passages that complement and reinforce his arguments. The arguments' basis in terms that the clergymen will find to be familiar and agreeable, in combination with sympathy evoking references to historical events, is particularly effective in causing the clergymen to seriously reconsider their statements. The strategy that stands out the most is King's usage of religious references. He supports his arguments with passages from the Bible and statements or philosophies put forth by prominent theologians, such as St. Thomas Aquinas. The clergy is very familiar with these sources. Their entire belief system is based on them! By using these sources as a basis for his arguments, King makes it very difficult for the clergy to disagree with the reasoning behind his actions. For example, in response to the accusation that he and other protesters are "outside agitators," he references the story of Paul of Tarsus's mission to spread Christianity: "†¦just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco-Roman world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own h... ...rtight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society†¦. then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait† (166-167). In other words, he uses passages like these to â€Å"drive the point home.† As a whole, â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail† is a thorough and well-executed defense of non-violent protest. Even readers who do not need to be persuaded, readers who are already in general agreement with non-violent methods of protest, will still find deep insights into how this form of protest works (such as the concept of â€Å"negative peace† (169)), and why it is necessary. King combines the strategy of appealing to the audience's identity in various ways, powerful passages that reinforce arguments, and some general deductive reasoning and insight to construct an argument that is very clear, rational, and effective in explaining and defending non-violent direct action.

Teaching Writing :: Reflective Writing Education Feminism Essays

Teaching Writing As I look back over the course of this semester, the image that I get is one of the murky variety. It is difficult to identify although I have felt its presence for almost four months now. There have been many moments when I have waited for the insights to come, for the reading and the writing to mesh. And instead, I felt like I was lost in a fog that was sometimes dense, other times only misty. The worst part is that the fog is pervading a familiar place and once it clears I will be disappointed with myself because I should have known exactly where I was. What troubles me is why I do not know where I stand, after a semester of studying concepts I believe in. My hopes for myself in this class have not been met (for which I hold myself entirely responsible). I spent the last few months searching for answers in the material, in my dialogues with my classmates and coworkers, in my writing and through my thinking. As a feminist and a critical pedagogue I thought I would surely come to some grand conclusions, with all these theories as my bedfellows. But instead I feel like I have abandoned and failed my agenda: to better learn the theory and grow because of it. This is not to say that I have not learned anything, or not grown from the experience of this class. I know and feel that I have been changed; I am just not certain how. I look back at my reaction papers and I only see doubts. Questioning the people whose projects I admire, whose goals are not so different than mine, who know so much more than I do. And yet each paper that I have written criticizes and tries to poke holes. This sense of being lost, of not knowing is my own fault. I did not allow myself to engage with the writers. It has only been at the end, by doing my research paper and reading the articles about race that I finally felt like there was a place for me this course. It has been an alienating experience to see my peers thriving with our coursework while I felt like a grumpy old dwarf, shouting à ¬What about me?!à ® And then, a couple weeks ago, when we started reading Race, Rhetoric, and Composition, I felt like the fog was beginning to shift.

Comparing the Minority Experience in Baby of the Family, and House on M

Women Minority Experience in Baby of the Family, and House on Mango Street  Ã‚      The two novels Baby of the Family, and House on Mango Street expose the minority experience through the perspective of a child, struggling to find an identity in their own unique views of the cultures they are growing up in. The life of Lena's family, one of an upper class African American family in the southern part of the United States, appeals to the ideal of the New American as her family blends the dominant culture with their minority background in their everyday life experiences. Esperanza is a Hispanic youth, growing up in a barrio, where there is not much to offer the Hispanic locals. She ultimately feels the profile the of the New American in her view of attaining a better life, and escaping the suffocating prescence of the barrio, while still remembering her ethnic roots. Both these characters apply to the classification of the Double Minority in the obvious aspect of being females, and of course their relationship of being in a minority culture. In Baby of the Family, author Tina Ansa exposes the reader to the perspective of a child living in a dominant culture oriented household, that is trying to latch on to some very important traditional aspects of their minority background. Esperanza in House on Mango Street struggles to find her identity in a society discriminating against her not only as a minority, but her genders hinders her advancement also. The authors of these two minority novels corelate these ideals and explore the hardships these two character face as struggling to become the New American while being classified ultimately as Double Minorities. A few of the common apects shared by the two novels include the common... ...alls these children experience. These two children take the ideal of the "New American" and expose it as they find ways to live in a world in which they walk a fine line between the two clashing cultures. The "Double Minority" role plays an important and attempt to overcome the barriers in their own cultures. The cultures ultimately take on a new definition as time progresses, because there is truly not a definite distinction anymore. Works Cited Ansa, Tina McElroy. Baby of the Family. Harcourt Press; San Diego, 1989. Blicksilver, Edith. The Ethnic American Woman. Kenall/Hunt Publishing; Iowa, 1978. Cecil, Andrew R. The Meaning of the Family in Society. University of Texas; Dallas, 1991. Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street. Vintage Contemporaries; New York, 1991. Murray, Alma. Black Perspectives. Scholastic Books; New York, 1971.   

Court System of Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico had a distinct legal system to that of American legal system till the American solders landed in 1898 . The Puerto Rico’s structure including civil law rules, institutions, procedures and legal culture were undergone important transformation. There is a change in the civil law jurisdiction to the civil law-mixed law and other areas such as legal structures, processes, culture and actors. This paper examines the current legal system of the Puerto Rico and critically examines 3 states (Virginia Islands, Hawaii and New Jersey) court structures.It also provides the proposal for the court structure of Puerto Rico on par with these 3 states. Brief introduction of Puerto Rico: Puerto Rico is a self-governing commonwealth in association with the United States. The President is USA is the chief of state and elected Governor. It has control over the internal affairs and without the interference of the USA. The major differences between Puerto Rico and the 50 states include e xemption from some aspects of the Internal Revenue Code, its lack of voting representation in either house of the U.S congress (Senate and House of Representatives), the ineligibility of Puerto Ricans to vote in presidential elections, and its lack of assignation of some revenue reserved for the states. Judicial system in Puerto Rica is directed by Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is comprised of 7 judges (a chief justice and 6 associate justices) named by the Governor. The structure of Judicial System includes a Court of Appeals, Superior Court, a District Court (Civil & Criminal), and Municipal Court. There are 12 judicial districts.The Commonwealth of Puerto Rica also has a district court comparable to those of the state of US. Each district court has a least one district judge and can have more than a score of district judges, as well as a clerk, a United States Attorney, a United States Marshall, one or more United States Magistrates, bankruptcy judges, probation officers, cour t reporters, and their staff. The federal government, located in San Juan, is represented by 2 district judges and the procurator, who is named by the President of the United States. The Federal court has final authority of the ELA.Distinctive features of the American Judicial System includes the adversary system, the common law system, predefined rules for conducting litigation, reporting of judicial proceedings and the publication of court opinions. There are 94 federal judicial districts, including at least one district in each state, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands and Puerto Rico. The appeal courts take the appeals from the district courts located in the circuit and also from the federal administrative agencies.The Supreme Court is the highest court in the federal judiciary . The judicial system of Puerto Rico is based upon Spanish Law upon which is based the on United States judicial system. The Puerto Rico legal court system includes a district court, a superior court, an appellate court and the Puerto Rico Supreme Court as apex court. Decisions of the Puerto Rico Supreme Court can be appealed to the Federal Court for Puerto Rico and to the U. S. Supreme Court as a lost resort. Hawaii state judicial system features appellate courts and trial courts.Appellate courts include the Hawaii Supreme Court and the Intermediate Court of Appeals and the trial courts include the Circuit, Family and District courts and functions four judicial districts. The judicial system of Virginia Islands consists of the Supreme Court of Virginia, the Court of Appeals of Virginia, the General District Courts and the Circuit Courts . The structure of New Jersey's court system is very simple featuring Municipal courts, Tax Court, state Superior Court, which includes the trial courts, an Appellate Division and the New Jersey Supreme Court.All the above mentioned court systems such as Hawaii, Virginia islands and New Jersey has dif ferent set of court structures . Except in the criminal and constitutional fields, Puerto Rico’s legal system substantially remained that of the Spanish civil law . Puerto Rico state’s highest court: The Supreme Court of Puerto Rico is the highest court of the Puerto Rico, which is analogous to one of the U. S state supreme courts established in San Juan. The ultimate judicial authority lies within Puerto Rico for interpretation and deciding on the question of local commonwealth law.The Constitution and the laws of Puerto Rico determine the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court and works similar way to the state Supreme Courts in the United States. It has concurrent jurisdiction to interpret federal laws, unless the Supremacy Clause requires otherwise. The Supreme Court of Puerto Rico used the common law to resolve the private-law issues and later drifted to methodical research integrating the civil law into the civilian context . Comparison of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico with the Virgin Islands, Hawaii and New Jersey’s Supreme Courts.The Supreme Court of Hawaii hears appeals for writs of certiorari to the Intermediate Court of Appeals and applications for transfer from the Intermediate Court of Appeals. It also hears reserved questions of law from the circuit courts, the land court, and the tax appeal court, certified question from the federal courts, applications for writs, complaints on elections and it makes rules of practice and procedures for all state courts, licenses, regulates and disciplines attorneys and judges. The New Jersey Supreme Court composed of a chief justice and six associate justices.It takes up the appeals from the lower courts involving capital cases and cases in which a panel of appellate judges has disagreed. It also hears the cases of great public importance. The Superior Court has broad jurisdiction in addressing the legal needs of the Virgin Islands community. The Court hears all local trial matters including civil, criminal, family, probate, landlord-tenant, small claims and traffic. It also acts as a court of appeals for decisions of all governmental officers and agencies . Puerto Rico’s Appellate Courts: U. S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit is the appellate court for the District of Puerto Rico.The Circuit Court of Appeals established in 1994 sits in San Juan and it is the intermediary level between the courts of first instance and the Supreme Court. With the consent of senate 33 justices were named by the Governor for the Circuit Court of Appeals. Most sittings are held in Boston, but the court sits for two weeks each year in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico and occasionally at other locations within the circuit. First Circuit is the smallest of the thirteen United States courts of appeals Composition of U. S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit is five active (six authorized) and four senior judges. Juan R.Torruella is the chief judge of the Puerto Rico duty station appoi nted by the Reagan. The established procedure for the eligibility of the Chief Judge is that he must be below the age of 65, serving court actively at least one year and have not served as a Chief Judge earlier. The appellate courts for the other states in comparison are U. S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit for Hawaii. U. S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit for Virgin Islands and U. S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit for New Jersey. The Hawaii appellate courts are comprised of the Supreme Court and the Intermediate Court of Appeals.The Intermediate Court of Appeals of Hawaii hears all appeals from trial courts and state agencies in the State of Hawaii composed of 6 judges. It is having discretionary powers to hear cases without prior suit in civil cases or cases in circuit court or the tax appeal court and also when the parties agreed upon the facts of the controversy. The U. S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit for Virgin Islands composed of 14 active judg es. The chief judge should have the same eligibility criteria as if the Puerto Rico has. U. S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit for New Jersey is composed of 14 active judges.Puerto Rico’s Municipal Courts Municipal courts have the jurisdiction to hear minor civil and less serious criminal cases with in the region under the powers conferred by the constitution and the other law . Puerto Rico’s municipal judges, serving for five years, and justices of the peace, in rural areas, decide cases involving local ordinances. Municipal Courts of New Jersey usually has jurisdiction to take cases such as motor vehicle and parking tickets, minor criminal-type offenses, municipal ordinance offenses and other offenses including fish and game violations.Municipal Court judges are usually appointed by the Mayor of the municipality, with the advice and consent of the council, and serve a term of three years and eligibility set by the statute and he should have 5 years of practice experience. The Municipal Court of the Virgin Islands’ was named as the Territorial Court of the Virgin Islands and having jurisdiction over all civil actions and criminal matters. Territorial court is now changed to superior court by means of Bill No. 25-0213. Hawaii does not have Municipal Courts.County and local ordinance and traffic violations are tried in state circuit and district courts. Puerto Rico’s Major Trial Courts: The nine superior courts are the Puerto Rico’s Major trial courts. The term of the superior court judges is 12-years. The superior courts were divided into 13 districts in 2003 and have original jurisdiction of not exceeding $10,000 in civil cases and also in minor criminal cases. District courts also hear preliminary motions in more serious criminal cases . The Hawaii trial courts include the Circuit, Family and District courts.The courts are structured geographically: Puerto Rico constitutes one judicial district and held at Mayaguez, Ponce and San Juan according to United States Code Title 28, Part I, Chapter 5, Sec. 119. The Hawaii appellate courts are comprised of the Supreme Court and the Intermediate Court of Appeals. The trial courts include the Circuit, Family and District courts. The Virginia's court structure has District Court, at the lowest level, to the Supreme Court at the highest level. The Circuit Courts is at the second lowest level, and the Court of Appeals at the next level.The Chief Justice and the Supreme Court will function as the administrative body for the entire Virginia court system. Structure of New Jersey's court system is the simplest in among all the court structures. Municipal courts, Tax Court, state Superior Court, which includes the trial courts, an Appellate Division and the New Jersey Supreme Court are the basic type of the courts. Judges appointment: Justices for The Supreme Court, The Appellate Court, The Court of First Instance (composing of Superior Court and Municipal Court ) appointed by the Governor of Puerto Rico with the consent (majority vote) of the Senate and retires at the age of 70.The Circuit Court of Appeals includes 33 justices. Justices and judges in US are appointed under the Article III of the constitution by the president of the US with the majority vote of senate for life time . Judicial and Attorney ethical standards The Code of Conduct for United States Judges According to the code of conduct duties of judge are 1. Upholding the integrity and independence of the judiciary. 2. Avoiding impropriety and the appearance of impropriety in all activities. 3. Performing the duties of the office impartially and diligently. 4.Carrying out extrajudicial activities for improving the legal system and the administration of justice. 5. Regulating extrajudicial activities to minimize the risk of conflict with judicial duties. 6. Regularly filing reports of compensation received for law-related and extra-judicial activities. 7. Refraining from politi cal activity . Attorney ethical standards 28 C. F. R. PART 77—ETHICAL STANDARDS FOR ATTORNEYS FOR THE GOVERNMENT The Department of Justice makes sure that its attorneys perform their duties in accordance with the highest ethical standards through implementing 28 U. S. C.530B and guide attorneys concerning the guidelines imposed on Department attorneys by 28 U. S. C. 530B. Conclusion: The Puerto Rico courts and legal structure had under gone a drastic transformation under the U. S rule. Now it has its own court structure with some limitations. In spite of very simple court system the New Jersey's legal system is effective. Two step appellate review process in Virginia court system is also a good for the better scrutiny of the case . The courts systems of Hawaii, Virginia Islands and New Jersey have a good court structure and can be ideal for the court structure of Puerto Rico.Reference: 1. Carlos R. Soltero, (2006) Latinos and American law: landmark Supreme Court cases, Univer sity of Texas Press. 2. William Miller, (2006), Evolving Internet reference resources, Haworth Press. 3. Virginia Courts†. Virginia Judicial System. 2008. Retrieved on 2008-03-04. http://www. courts. state. va. us/courts/courts. html 4. State Court Caseload Statistics, 2003, Retrieved from http://www. ncsconline. org/D_Research/csp/2003_Files/2003_SCCS_Charts1. pdf 5. Juan R. Torruella, (1985), The Supreme Court and Puerto Rico: The Doctrine of Separate and Unequal, Editorial UPR.6. Vernon V. Palmer, (2001), Mixed jurisdictions worldwide: the third legal family, Cambridge University Press. 7. SUPERIOR COURT OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS, Division of St. Thomas/St. John, Retrieved on April 2, 2009, http://www. visuperiorcourt. org/ 8. Timothy F. Fautsko, (2003), Workload assessment model for the Puerto Rico municipal court, Retrived on April,2. http://contentdm. ncsconline. org/cgi-bin/showfile. exe? CISOROOT=/spcts&CISOPTR=105 98. Puerto Rico – Judicial system, (2007), Advameg, Inc. Retrieved on April 2, 2009, http://www. city-data.com/states/Puerto-Rico-Judicial-system. html 10. Leonidas Ralph Mecham, The Federal Court System, in the United States, Retrieved from http://www. uscourts. gov/library/internationalbook-fedcts2. pdf 11. Leonidas Ralph Mecham, The Federal court system in the United States, Retrieved form http://www. uscourts. gov/library/internationalbook-fedcts2. pdf 12. Order No. 2216–99, 64 FR 19275, Apr. 20, 1999. 13. Marie Wayson (2008), Virginia Court System: Function and Purpose, Retived on April 2, 2009, http://www. associatedcontent. com/article/724285/virginia_court_system_function_and. html